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Amplification of the evanescent field of free electrons

Amplification of the evanescent field of free electrons
Amplification of the evanescent field of free electrons
Evanescent optical fields existing in close proximity to illuminated objects contain detailed information on length scales smaller than the wavelength. They do not propagate to external observers but can be accessed using negative-index lenses, or coupled to propagating waves via subwavelength apertures, to achieve imaging resolution beyond the diffraction limit. Free electrons moving in vacuum also carry imperceptible localized, visible-frequency evanescent fields, and we demonstrate experimentally here that these fields can be amplified by a plasmonic film as electrons fly over the surface, offering new avenues toward the exploitation of electron evanescent fields for enhanced microscopy and nanoscale light generation. Amplifiers are fabricated at the tips of tapered optical fiber probes decorated with nanogratings to resonantly scatter electron fields to UV/vis light. We record amplification factors up to 3.4 in the ~850 THz (~350 nm) spectral range for medium-energy (40–50 keV) electrons.
1236-1240
So, Jin-Kyu
06a7afea-61c2-439d-9ac4-047ea21a909b
García de Abajo, F.Javier
07e3df24-ab3b-4a70-af18-188db066aa1a
MacDonald, Kevin F.
76c84116-aad1-4973-b917-7ca63935dba5
Zheludev, Nikolay I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
So, Jin-Kyu
06a7afea-61c2-439d-9ac4-047ea21a909b
García de Abajo, F.Javier
07e3df24-ab3b-4a70-af18-188db066aa1a
MacDonald, Kevin F.
76c84116-aad1-4973-b917-7ca63935dba5
Zheludev, Nikolay I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6

So, Jin-Kyu, García de Abajo, F.Javier, MacDonald, Kevin F. and Zheludev, Nikolay I. (2015) Amplification of the evanescent field of free electrons. ACS Photonics, 2 (9), 1236-1240. (doi:10.1021/acsphotonics.5b00130).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Evanescent optical fields existing in close proximity to illuminated objects contain detailed information on length scales smaller than the wavelength. They do not propagate to external observers but can be accessed using negative-index lenses, or coupled to propagating waves via subwavelength apertures, to achieve imaging resolution beyond the diffraction limit. Free electrons moving in vacuum also carry imperceptible localized, visible-frequency evanescent fields, and we demonstrate experimentally here that these fields can be amplified by a plasmonic film as electrons fly over the surface, offering new avenues toward the exploitation of electron evanescent fields for enhanced microscopy and nanoscale light generation. Amplifiers are fabricated at the tips of tapered optical fiber probes decorated with nanogratings to resonantly scatter electron fields to UV/vis light. We record amplification factors up to 3.4 in the ~850 THz (~350 nm) spectral range for medium-energy (40–50 keV) electrons.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 11 August 2015
Published date: 16 September 2015
Organisations: Optoelectronics Research Centre

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 381451
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/381451
PURE UUID: 587fb0bf-809b-41e8-8fd1-40f775a43795
ORCID for Kevin F. MacDonald: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3877-2976
ORCID for Nikolay I. Zheludev: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1013-6636

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 10 Sep 2015 09:51
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:03

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Contributors

Author: Jin-Kyu So
Author: F.Javier García de Abajo

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